This invention relates to a system for electrically charging a vehicle component, wherein the electrical charge is generated by movement of components on the vehicle.
Modern vehicles have a number of components mounted in positions where they are exposed to the environment. In particular, there are components mounted beneath the frame of the vehicle which are subject to dirt, grime, rain, snow, etc. As examples, all of the suspension components for a vehicle are mounted beneath the frame of the vehicle. All of these components are thus subject to corrosion.
In the past, complex and expensive surface treatments have been relied upon to resist corrosion. Many of the components are inexpensive, and thus expensive treatments are not always practical. It would be desirable to reduce the complexity and cost of the anti-corrosion treatments. On the other hand, any solution to the problem of corrosion must be relatively inexpensive to be practical.
In a disclosed embodiment of this invention, an electrical charge is placed on a vehicle component which is subject to corrosion. The electrical charge is of very low voltage, and thus does not raise any significant safety issues. However, the electrical charge does resist corrosion. It is preferred that the vehicle component be a suspension component, and more particularly a suspension component made of steel. Such components have been subject to corrosion in the past, and the use of the electrical charge to resist the corrosion provides valuable benefits.
In a most preferred embodiment of this invention, the electrical charge is generated by movement of components on the vehicle. Preferably, the current is stored in a capacitor, and is periodically discharged. In this way, only a few relatively inexpensive electrical circuit elements must be included to provide the anti-corrosion function.
In one embodiment of this invention, friction surfaces are placed at a location such that during operation of the vehicle suspension, the friction surfaces will be moved along each other. Heat will be generated. Some method of transferring the heat into electrical energy is utilized. In one embodiment, a thermocouple is utilized to generate electric current from the heat. The current from the thermocouple is stored in a capacitor. A switch periodically discharges the capacitor charge to a component which is subject to corrosion. The switch may be designed such that it discharges with a time cycle, or discharges when a particular amount of charge has been stored in the capacitor.
In a second embodiment of this invention, a moving ferrous component moves within an electrical coil. Movement of the component within the coil generates a current. That current is utilized in a fashion similar to that of the above embodiment to generate a charge on the vehicle component.
These and other objects of the present invention can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.